The Cellist
by miinou20
Summary: Since Boyd's death, Derek has been finding himself thinking about his teenage years more and more often. Thoughts of an old love and heartbreak plague his mind as he walks down the hallways of Beacon Hills High School. What will Derek find as he walks the halls of the school he once attended? This takes place after Visionary (3x08).
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just as a quick little side note, I do not own anything from Teen Wolf. The only thing that I own is the cellist that I created. Also, I would like to thank tumblr user deniiisey for being a beta for this one shot. The song that the cellist plays in this story is "Carnival of the Animals: The Swan" by Camille Saint-Saëns. Enjoy!**

**The Swan**

Derek Hale searched the empty hallways of Beacon Hills High School for Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski, to discuss what the next move on the Alpha Pack should be. He had been off on his own ever since the death of his Beta last week. Boyd's death had brought back memories that Derek had suppressed for many years, and having them resurface made his emotional pain more difficult to bare. To make matters worse, Derek's only remaining pack member, Isaac, seemed to be more interested in joining Scott's pack than to stay in his. And despite the fact that he still had his sister Cora and his uncle Peter around, he felt alone.

Memories of his teenage years enfolded from his mind as he walked on the tile floors of the school that he once attended. The remembrance of both happy and heartbreaking times consumed Derek's thoughts to the point where he forgot why he had come to Beacon Hills High School in the first place. His mind was working overtime, remembering important moments and individuals, and there was one that stood out above the rest. _Paige_. The mere thought of her name brought love and guilt inside of Derek's heart.

They say first love is the kind of love that is unforgettable and can leave permanent scars on the soul. Derek could vouch for that, and he used to even have a more visible scar, too; the color of his eyes. Before he became an Alpha, they had changed from a beautiful golden color to ice blue, reminding him of Paige every time he shifted. Ever since her death, he never thought that he could feel complete again. In the end, Paige loved him, despite what he was and he would always keep her close to his heart because of that.

As he continued to roam around the school, Derek found himself in a familiar place. _The music room is in this hallway._ Derek's thoughts immediately brought him back to the day he first met Paige. He remembered how she asked him and his friends to go play basketball in the gym. He also vividly recalled telling her that they wouldn't leave unless she could take the ball away from him. Derek allowed himself a little chuckle as he was reminded of happier times in his life.

Derek snapped out of of his thoughts when he heard music coming from a nearby classroom._ The room where Paige used to practice_. He wanted to turn away and try to find Scott and Stiles, but the melody was too captivating. He never really cared much for classical music, but something about hearing the sound of a cello always made him stop for a few minutes to listen.

A small smile escaped Derek's usually cold demeanor as he thought of how Paige had challenged him to play one instrument that was in the music room. He remembered how proud he was of himself when he had picked up the triangle and successfully produced a clear note from the instrument.

Derek continued to listen to the melody that the celllist was playing and he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the music. He had almost forgotten how warm and rich the cello sounded. Just like all of those years ago, he was in awe of how beautiful it sounded. He had to admit he was impressed with how good the cellist was. Whoever it was, they took their time to play the song perfectly, and for a few seconds he felt as though he was floating around in an infinite ocean.

As he continued to listen to the captivating melody, Derek couldn't help but wonder who the cellist was. He knew that he should have turned away, instead of letting his curiosity get the better of him, but he had lost all control. Just listening to the music wasn't enough for him, he needed to see the cellist actually play it.

Quietly, he took a few steps forward. Like all those years ago, he was leaning against the doorpost, watching someone play beautiful music.

The cellist was a young woman, seventeen or eighteen if Derek had to guess. She had honey blonde, straight, shoulder length hair that was put in a ponytail. Her hazel eyes were focused on the sheet music in front of her while she pulled the bow across the cello's strings, and let her left hand's small, graceful fingers dance across the top strings with ease.

The girl shared no physical similarities with Paige and as Derek continued to watch her, he noticed a different aura, too. Paige's aura was filled with determination and intensity, and this girl's aura exuded peace and relaxation.

Derek's heart clenched as he compared the past to the present. Thinking of his first love always brought up intense emotions, such as longing and guilt. Beneath his cold and harsh demeanor, was a broken man, looking for a lost love.

To Derek's disappointment, the song ended. The cellist took a deep breath in through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, giving Derek the impression that even though she seemed to love playing music, she was relieved that she'd finished. _She looks exhausted_, he thought. _She must have been practicing for hours to get it to sound perfect._

The girl must have finally sensed that she wasn't the only person in the room anymore, because she turned around to face Derek. Her pink lips formed a smile and she tilted her head to the side. She seemed fascinated by him and wasn't freaked out by his intense gaze.

After what had felt like an eternity of silence to Derek, the girl's lips parted and he heard her voice for the first time that night.

"Hello."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I originally intended to leave this as a one-shot, but after a lot of consideration I have decided to turn this into a fanfiction. I would like to give a big thank you to Denise for being my beta and the only thing that I own are the OCs that I have created. Enjoy!**

**The Scientist**

The girl continued to smile warmly, and awaited Derek's response.

"Hi," he stated. Derek felt slightly awkward, which was an odd feeling for him to have, and was at a loss of words. He'd never thought that overhearing the cellist play would actually lead to a conversation with her.

Finally, after searching tirelessly through his thoughts for a little longer than he would have liked, Derek spoke again. "You're really good, by the way." His arm made a motion towards the girl and her cello.

"Thanks," she replied as she set the bow down on the music stand.

"How long have you been playing the cello?" Derek asked. He felt embarrassed to be asking, what he thought to be, a stupid question.

"About eight years now, I think. What about you? Do you play any instruments?"

Derek snickered and shook his head. "I don't really play any instruments," he admitted.

The cellist's lips formed the shape of an 'o' in response.

"What brings you to Beacon Hills High School," she questioned. "I mean, you don't really look like a high school student and I am pretty sure that you are not a teacher," she added as she saw one of Derek's eyebrows rise up in response to her question.

"I'm looking for Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski," he explained.

"They're on the lacrosse team, right?"

"Yeah, they are. Have you seen them around?"

The cellist shook her head from side to side and replied. "Sorry, I haven't. I've cooped myself in this room for.." she paused and took out her phone to, what Derek assumed, check the time. "Four hours. _Crap_! I've been here for four hours!" she groaned and leaned her head back.

"Whoa. You've been here a long time," Derek sniggered.

"Yeah. I have," she replied offhandedly and Derek could tell that her thoughts had wandered away from the present moment.

It had felt like a long time since he'd had a decent conversation with a normal person, as they'd call her in his world. Most of his conversations of late involved trying to find the Darach and taking down the Alpha Pack. He had forgotten how nice it felt to converse with someone without mentioning the words 'werewolf' or 'kill'.

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

Derek froze and pondered over her simple question for a few long seconds. At the mention of wanting to know his name, he was reminded of the reason why he had come to Beacon Hills High School in the first place. Telling the girl his name could freak her out and cause a scene, which he wasn't in the mood for. On the other hand, she could feel indifferent to knowing what his name was, though he was pretty sure that was not going to happen. He was pretty well known in Beacon Hills, and not for the right reasons.

Derek took a leap of faith and answered her question. "Derek. Derek Hale." He listened carefully to the cellist's heartbeat for signs of fear or anxiety, and was surprised of what he heard. To his relief, her heartbeat was still calm and steady, much like her demeanor. Derek relaxed his shoulders and hoped that the cellist's response was as calm as her heart.

"It's nice to meet you Derek," she replied. "I'm Sophie Greyson."

Derek released a deep breath that he hadn't realized he was holding in.

_Breathe Derek. She didn't freak out._ He thought to himself.

While Derek lost himself in his train of thought, Sophie gently placed her cello on the floor next to the chair and stood up to put the sheet of music away. She had definitely overstayed her time in Beacon Hills High School and even though she enjoyed practicing, she was ready to go home.

From the corner of her eye, Sophie watched Derek's brooding expression as he continued to stand at the entrance of the Music Room. She could see that something bad had happened to him recently. Sophie had seen that look on her parents and brothers' faces, and she was pretty sure that even at one point in her life she had worn that same expression.

_He has probably lost someone too._

She was pleasantly surprised when Derek had stopped by to listen to her play. Sophie was well aware that people could hear her practice, but no one, except her family and her best friend, had ever stopped to listen to the music she played. Having an attractive guy stop by was definitely that last thing she thought would ever happen.

_Be calm Soph. I know he is super attractive and that he's probably staring at you right now, but stay calm. You've been doing good so far. Keep it up_, Sophie thought to herself.

"I hope you can find them," Sophie spoke up as she went on her knees and put the cello back in its case. Derek gave her a puzzled look. "I mean Scott and Stiles. I hope you'll be able to find them."

"Yeah, they shouldn't be that hard to find," Derek answered. _I'll just track them down by scent_, he thought.

Derek was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Sophie laugh. An odd sensation coursed through his body as he realized that he had made her laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done that.

"I'll see you later then?" Sophie questioned.

_She wants to see me again?_ Derek asked himself incredulously.

Sophie stood up and smoothed her brown cami.

"Yeah, I'll see you later," Derek replied with a small smile on his lips.

She nodded her head and smiled.

As Derek left the Music Room, his heart suddenly felt heavy, and loneliness overcame him once again.

_Don't get attached to her, Derek. You are a werewolf. Werewolves and humans don't mix well. There's a good reason why you don't interact with them that much. Just focus on the Alpha Pack and the Darach. Forget about Sophie._

After sniffing the hallways of Beacon Hills High School for ten minutes, Derek came to the realization that Scott and Stiles were long gone.

_Just my luck_, he groaned.

Despite the fact that he wanted to be angry and frustrated for letting himself get distracted by Sophie and the music she'd played, he couldn't find it in himself to be upset with the young cellist.

_No Derek. No more attachments._

With his hands in his pockets and his head held up as high as he could muster, Derek went back to his place, hoping he would find Stiles and Scott tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for keep you all waiting for this chapter. I forgot to mention this last time, but updates for this will take a while. Anyway, I would like thank my wonderful beta for being amazing and helping me out with this story. Also I would like to thank my little brother for helping me brainstorm. Finally, the only thing that I own are the OCs that I have created. Enjoy!**

**The Race Home**

Once Sophie had finished putting away her cello, she grabbed her tan and brown colored cardigan that she had previously thrown on a random chair before practice and fast walked out of the music room. She still couldn't believe how much time she had spent practicing. Sophie hoped that her parents wouldn't be too upset with her when she gets home. _If I get out of here fast enough then maybe I might be able to beat them home. With any luck, the only one home right now is Theo._ She was the baby of the family and after what had happened with her younger brother Tristan, her parents were extremely overprotective of her. As much as Sophie wanted to hate and be angry at her family for being overbearing, she couldn't find it in herself to do so. She understood why they were so careful with her safety and wellbeing._ At least I am not being neglected_, Sophie mused in an attempt to cheer herself.

As she made her way to her locker, Sophie's mind drifted from thoughts of her family to the conversation she had with Derek. It was strange to see someone like him in Beacon Hills High Schools. _He looked a little too old and badass to be here._ Sophie shook her head and expelled all thoughts of Derek Hale out her mind. As her mind brought itself back to the present moment, Sophie had herself wishing that she was still analyzing Derek. The first thing that she noticed was how dark the hallways of the school were. Then she felt the eerie, cold silence that made her feel like she was drowning in an infinite ocean.

When Sophie had finally found her locker, a cold sweat was cascading down her neck and she was fighting the urge to run out of the school. After she pulled out her backpack from the cold metal locker, Sophie fast walked out of Beacon Hills High School. The closer she got to the parking lot, the more relieved she was. Walking inside the school during the evening felt like being trapped inside the belly of the Loch Ness Monster.

Once she escaped the confinements of the belly of the beast, Sophie breathed out a sigh of relief. Despite the fact that the sun was already resting, she was elated to be out in the open instead of being confined by the walls of the school. _It's okay Sophie. You're out, and now you need to get home before mom and dad._

Despite the darkness, she was able to find her plum colored car and started the fifteen minute drive home. Her mind finally came to an ease during her short journey while she listened to Justin Timberlake's new album. She bobbed her head up and down along to the beat of the music and occasionally, she would sing along to the songs.

Three and half songs later, Sophie had finally made it home. The moment of truth was revealed when the car garage door noisily opened._ Good, they're not home yet,_ Sophie thought to herself while she sighed in relief. The garage was lit by a single lightbulb that shone brilliant, and almost blinding, light. Power tools and random gardening objects were strewn on the floor and grey dust covered old shelves with boxes that hadn't been touched in four years. Sophie quickly got out of her car, in case her parents happened to come home in that very moment and made her way inside her home.

"It's about time," Sophie heard a voice sneer as she entered the large kitchen. Directly in front of her was a kitchen island made of white colored wood. Two stools with red cushions on the seats were lined up along one of the long sides of the rectangular island and standing on opposite side was Sophie's older brother, Theo.

"Missed you too," she replied sarcastically. Theo snickered and shook his head.

"Yeah. Whatever," he scoffed. His blue eyes held hostility and malice, but Sophie was used to this. Their conversations had been aggressive for the past four years and despite Sophie's best efforts to diffuse the tension, things were still rough. "You're just lucky that mom and dad are late from work."

"Mmmhhmm." Sophie walked towards the fridge and smiled as she heard the loud footsteps of her dog coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. The grey and white colored husky ran into her right leg, letting Sophie know that she was here. "Hi baby. How are you?"

"Pathetic," Theo muttered as he saw his little sister getting on her knees and petting her dog. Just as Sophie was about to get up and open the door to the fridge, the familiar hum of a car driving into the garage momentarily stopped her.

"Hi honey," Helen, Sophie's mother, greeted.

"Hey mom," she answered as nonchalantly as possible. Sophie hoped that she had not left any clues behind to show how late she'd come home.

"Have you had dinner yet?" the petite woman questioned.

Sophie shook her head. "No I haven't. I got caught up with school work." _Which is more or less the truth_, she thought to herself.

"Okay. When your father gets out of the car, he will start working on dinner," Helen informed.

"Sounds good. I'll just go up to my room. Call me if you need anything."

Sophie slowly walked up the dark hardwood stairs with her dog, Artemis, slowly walking behind her. Just as she was about to open the door to her bedroom, Sophie felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She dug into the small pocket of her jeans and successfully answered her phone before it stopped buzzing.

"Hello?"

"Soph! It's Cleo. Where are you?" Sophie's fiery best friend quickly asked with a hint of worry in her tone of voice.

"I'm at home. Why?" she answered without thinking, but once she gave Cleo's question some thought she started to understand where her best friend's worry was coming from. Sophie slapped her hand against her forehead and groaned. "I forgot to meet up with you? Didn't I?"

Cleo chuckled over the phone. "Yeah you did, but it's okay Soph. We can meet up tomorrow after school."

"Yeah! And I'm sorry for forgetting."

"It's OK, Soph." A long and slightly awkward silence followed Cleo's remark before she spoke up again. "Are you okay, Sophie?"

"I'm... fine," she replied hesitantly as she took a deep breath through her mouth. "I don't really wanna talk about it right now."

"We'll talk about tomorrow then. If you are up for it?" Cleo questioned.

"Yeah, that works. Anyway, I'm going to do some botany homework. See you later," Sophie stated offhandedly.

"Mmkay. See ya tomorrow." And with that, their conversation came to an end.

Three hours later, Sophie had finished her botany homework and eating the enchiladas that her dad had cooked for dinner. With the long day that she'd had, Sophie was relieved when she lied down in her bed to fall asleep.

She wished that she could've said that she had slept well, but that didn't happen. Sophie's dreams that night were like a massive car pile up. Confusion and chaos had taken over her overworked mind. At one point in her dreams, Sophie saw Derek chasing Stiles and Scott around the dark hallways of Beacon Hills High School. The strange thing that made Sophie reconsider her sanity, was the fact that both Scott and Derek had the tails of a wolf._ Dear god. I am going insane_, she thought as she turned over in bed and saw the time on her alarm clock. The thick and large numbers indicated that it was only 2:46am. Sophie groaned and rolled over to her previous position. She closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep with one final thought in mind. _Please let me get some good sleep._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: First off, I just want to thank you all for being patient with the updates! Next, I want to point out that in my story Scott, Stiles, Allison, and Isaac are juniors in high school. Since university as started up again for me updates are going to take a while (I will try to update every few weeks). Also, the only thing that I own are the OCs in this story (except for Mya, she belongs to the girl that I babysit). Finally, I want to thank my beta and my little brother for helping me out with this story. I couldn't have gotten this far without them. Enjoy! **

**Another Day in Paradise**

_It was the heat of the moment_

_Telling me what your heart meant_

_Heat of the moment shone in your eyes_

Sophie's eyes shot open as she heard the radio from her alarm go off, indicating that it was time to wake up. She rolled over to the right side of her bed and quickly turned it off. _It's Tuesday_, she thought as she let out a long breath. She stared at the alarm clock which showed her that it was 6:25 in the morning. _Time to get ready._ Sophie removed the white covers that were covered in green and pink butterflies and immediately felt a cool rush of air brush against her warm skin. Goosebumps formed along her arms as she stood up from her bed. Artemis, who had been lying near the corner of the queen sized bed, immediately got up with Sophie while wagging her tail to indicate to her master that she needed to go outside.

As usual, the Greyson household was quiet that morning. The only noise that Sophie heard as she slowly walked down the stairs, was the sizzling of someone cooking breakfast. Curiosity led her to take in a deep breath through her nose to catch the scent of what was being cooked. The mouth watering aroma of toasted bread and eggs filled her airways, which prompted her to walk faster. Before entering the kitchen, Sophie opened the back door of the house to let Artemis go in the backyard. She then fast walked into the kitchen and saw her father, who was supervising the eggs that were cooking in the frying pan.

"Hey Dad," Sophie greeted. Her voice was scratchy and soft from slumber that she had awoken from a few minutes prior.

"G'morning pumpkin," her father replied.

Martin Greyson was a tall man with a muscular build. His 6'4 stature made everyone, even Sophie who stood at 5 foot 7, feel small. His dirty blond hair was always combed back and his blue eyes practically never failed to show kindness and compassion. Ever since she was little, Sophie aspired to be like her father. She wanted to be as emotionally strong, kind, and caring as him.

"Where's mom?" Sophie inquired as she pulled out one of the stools that surrounded the kitchen island and sat on the comfy cushion. She leaned forward to grab a piece of toast, a knife, and some strawberry jam.

"She had to leave for work early. One of her clients could only meet with her at 6:30," he answered offhandedly. Helen was a hair stylist and her work schedule sometimes demanded her to work early or late hours. Sophie nodded her head and focused on finishing the last half of her toast. Once she took the last bite, she got off the stool and started making her way to her bedroom. "Aren't you going to have some breakfast?"

Sophie turned around and smiled. "Oh, I will. I just want to take a quick shower first."

"Okay. Don't take long or else the eggs will get cold." Sophie laughed and nodded her head.

"Don't worry, Dad. I'll be quick," she said.

"Oh and before you leave, just know that your mother had to take your car to work today," her father warned.

"Oh okay. I'll just ask Cleo to give me a ride."

"Are you two hanging out after school?"

"Yeah we are and since we are hanging out, I probably won't be home until later." Her father gave her a knowing look and before he could lecture her, Sophie explained herself. "Don't worry, Daddy. I won't be out late."

"Tonight's a school night Sophie. You need to be home before seven," he said.

Sophie nodded her head in agreement. Even though she didn't like that she had to come home so early, she knew that trying to bargain for extra time would do her no good. "I will."

"Will you be taking Artemis with you?" her father asked. At the mention of her Husky, Sophie immediately stood up from her seat and ran to the back door.

"I forgot Artemis outside!" she shouted. When she opened the door Sophie saw Artemis patiently sitting on the wood deck. At the sight of her owner, the Husky walked inside the warmth of the house. Before closing the door, Sophie assessed the outdoor temperature. The morning air was cold enough to let her know that she would need to either wear a jacket or cardigan to keep warm that day. Sophie continued to feel the effects of the cool weather as she walked up the stairs to her bathroom. After she finished climbing the stairs, a shiver ran up her spine and her body involuntarily shook. Sophie slightly struggled to control her breath as she walked towards the bathroom and she scolded her body for being worn out after the short hike up the stairs.

Before taking her shower Sophie sent a short text message to Cleo, asking her if she could give her ride to school. She did not wait for Cleo to response and started her daily morning routine. After taking her shower, she got a reply from Cleo. '_Sure. I'll be there in 30 mins._' Sophie smiled and threw her phone onto her bed as she walked to her closet to pick out something to wear. A white t-shirt with the words 'we are young' immediately caught her attention, as did a pair of dark skinny jeans and faded red hoodie. _I think that I am going to wear this with some combat boots_, Sophie thought to herself as she pulled out the articles of clothing that she wanted to wear.

After she put on the jeans and t-shirt, she ran to her bathroom and examined the state of her. As usual her hair was slightly wavy and thankfully, it looked good enough that it only needed some mousse to keep her hair the way it was. Once she finished getting ready for the long day ahead, Sophie skipped downstairs to eat the breakfast that her father had quickly thrown together. Since she only had ten minutes before Cleo would come to pick her up, she scarfed down the partially cold eggs and stale toast. Before leaving her house, she made sure to brush her teeth and spray on her favorite perfume.

"Have I ever told you how I much I hate this car?" Cleo asked as Sophie got into the old, white Volkswagen Beetle car. Sophie chuckled as she put on her seatbelt.

"More times than I can remember," she replied. Cleo groaned and started up the car.

Sophie and Cleo had met freshman year of high school during their Biology class and were assigned as lab partners. Ever since they first met, they had been great friends. Both of them could connect not only on an mature and intellectual level, but also on a artistic and emotional level. Despite the fact that their personalities were different and sometimes clashed, both girls complimented each other. They worked together to help the other be the best that they could be.

"Dear God," Cleo stated out of the blue.

"What?"

"We're practically matching." Sophie looked down at her outfit, then studied what Cleo was wearing. Both of them wore white shirts (though Cleo's shirt did not have writing on it) and dark skinny jeans. The only difference in their outfits, that Sophie could see, was that Cleo wore an oversized jacket (or maybe it was a coat, she couldn't tell). As Sophie continued to stare at her best friend's outfit, she came to notice that Cleo's black pants seemed to have some sort of design on them.

"Huh. Well we're wearing different jackets and our pants are sort of different," Sophie remarked. Cleo spared a quick glance and nodded her head.

"At least you look good."

"You look good, too."

Cleo scoffed and shook her head from side to side as she turned into the parking lot of Beacon Hills High School. "I look like crap today. I got up late this morning and didn't have much time to get ready. If you didn't text me asking for a ride, then I probably wouldn't have woken up this morning. I've literally just thrown on the first thing that I saw in my closet."

Like Cleo, Sophie shook her head. "I mean it Cleo. You look beautiful. I wish that I could look that great by just throwing on random stuff on. I need to stand in front of my closet for at least five minutes before choosing something to wear and even then, some of the clothes that I choose to wear don't end up looking that great."

"You're not allowed to say that Sophie."

"Why not?"

"You're perfect. You have blonde hair, hazel eyes, curves, and you're toned."

"You're perfect too, Cleo. Do you know what I'd do to have your red hair and to be as slim as you?"

Before they could finish their conversation Cleo pulled up to a parking spot that was luckily close to the school. The loud, shrill sound of the bell announced that all students had five minutes to get to their classes and both girls spared a quick glance at each other before running inside the school. Just in the nick of time Cleo and Sophie made it to their first class of the day, Mythology. Despite the subject of that day's lecture (which was the beginning of Chinese Mythology) being interesting, most of students had to fight the effects of the sandman. The fact that their teacher Mr. Burgess, an elderly man with a vast sea of knowledge, had a soothing voice which prompted the students to be more prone to fall asleep, didn't help.

After escaping the long hour of Chinese mythology, Cleo and Sophie went their separate ways with thoughts of their conversation in the car long gone. Before she knew it, Sophie was sitting in the music room with her cello resting against her body as her teacher, Mrs. Holmes, was reviewing the violins.

It did not take too long for Sophie to start thinking of Derek. Thoughts of his physical appearance dominated her thoughts as she struggled to focus on what Mrs. Holmes was telling the violin section in case she said something that the cellos needed to know. No matter how hard she tried to focus on what the middle-aged blonde woman was saying, Sophie's thoughts continued to revert back to the mystery man who she'd met the night before. As her mind analyzed her memory of Derek, Sophie was surprised that she still remembered him so clearly. She could still see the sadness that enveloped his green eyes, the muscles that threatened to break his black shirt, and the way his thick, black hair looked so soft and lush. In the back of her mind, Sophie wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through his hair. _Stop!_ she exclaimed. _I shouldn't be wasting my time daydreaming about a guy who probably has forgotten that I exist or just thinks of me as a fetus._

Sophie shook away her thoughts and finally was able to pay attention to her orchestra teacher. She was able to dispel some of the tension that she had been feeling when she finally got the chance to start playing with the rest of the orchestra. Pride and happiness seeped into her thoughts as she was reminded that she was the first chair in her section. The feeling of her fingers gliding against the strings eased Sophie's mind, body, and soul. She was in paradise.

All too soon the school bell rang, bringing Sophie out of her trance and indicating that class was over. Three fourths of the orchestra class got up to leave for the next class, but the rest of the students, including Sophie, stayed behind since they had a free period and there was no class coming into the music room. As Sophie pondered over what piece of music she wanted to practice, Cleo walked into the classroom.

"How's it going?" Cleo inquired as she pulled up a chair next to Sophie and set down. She pulled her notebook and pencil from her backpack and started to doodle. Sophie blinked a few times as she pondered over how she was doing.

"Honestly I think I might be going crazy," she timidly admitted as she played with the hairs of her cello bow.

"Are you seeing dead people?" Cleo asked as she looked up from her sketchbook. Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No, I am not!" Sophie exclaimed. Cleo threw her head back and laughed. "I met a guy yesterday."

"Oh," Cleo said as her expression turned serious. "You met a guy? Congrats, babe." Sophie snorted and didn't think that meeting Derek was something to celebrate. It's not that she didn't like him, it's just that she did not like how much time her mind spent on daydreaming of the tall, dark, and handsome man. "You don't really seem happy about meeting this 'guy.' Was he an ass?"

Sophie chuckled and replied. "No he wasn't. He was fine. I suppose... It's... I don't know."

"Is he good looking?"

"Yes, very."

"What does he look like?"

"Six foot, short black hair, green eyes, and muscular with a devil-may-care attitude."

"Mmmhhmm. Sounds attractive," Cleo murmured as she focused on the doodles in her sketchbook. "So you're going nuts over a guy you just met. That's okay. It happens to the best of us."

"Thanks for your support," Sophie sarcastically replied as she fiddled with the pages of music on the stand.

After her free period was over school seemed to pass by painfully slow and Sophie was relieved, to say the least, when the final bell rang. She practically ran out of her seat and fast walked out of Beacon Hills High School. Excitement and relief rushed through her veins as she thought of the fun activity that she had planned for Cleo that day. Sophie was so wrapped up in her own little world and practically forgot that there were people surrounding her in the crowded hallway.

_Omph_!

Sophie groaned as she felt her face collide with what she presumed to be a person's face.

"Ugh," Sophie moaned as she held her face in her hands.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry," she heard a male voice say. _Why isn't he rolling in agony like I am_, she thought to herself. "Are you okay?"

Sophie slowly put her hands down and scrunched her face. "I'm fine. What about you?"

"Oh, uhh.. I'm good," he slowly replied. Sophie blinked her eyes a few times and focused her gaze on the guy in front of her. He had dark skin, short and thick black hair, puppy dog brown eyes, a slightly uneven jaw, and was muscular. _Scott?!_

"Wait! You're Scott McCall. From the lacrosse team?"

"Yeah, I am," he admitted bashfully with a small smile on his face.

"Well it was nice meeting you, but I've got to go. See you later." Sophie said as she slowly started to walk away.

"Okay, see you later," Scott replied as he walked the opposite direction.

Once Sophie exited the school, she was able to quickly spot Cleo leaning against her car with an angry scowl on her plump lips as she stared at her phone.

"Fuck," Sophie heard Cleo mutter as she approached her.

"Hey what's wrong?" Sophie quietly questioned.

"I can't hang out with you today. My mom needs me to be home when Mya and her friends come over," Cleo ranted. Sophie reached out and put her hand on Cleo's arm.

"It's okay. We can hang out another time," she said with a small, encouraging smile.

"Yeah," Cleo reluctantly agreed as she got into the car.

Once Sophie walked into the front door of her home, Artemis came running towards her with excitement clouding her blue-grey eyes. She threw her backpack on the maroon colored couch that was in the living room, and made her way towards the back door of her home. She gazed longingly at the forest that surrounded her backyard as she wondered whether or not she should stay inside and do her homework, or go take a walk in the forest. It did not take her too long to decide that she would much rather get some fresh air, than stay cooped up in her home. Sophie whistled a short tune as a way to ask Artemis to come. Her husky immediately came to her side as she opened the back door and obediently followed her as she walked into the green forest.

The deeper that Sophie went in the forest, the more lost she got in her thoughts. For the most part, her mind was consumed with the fact that she was finally a senior and that she had to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Despite the fact that she was happy to have finally entered the final year of high school, dread and worry found it's way in her soul as she started pondering over what career she wished to have. Sophie loved music and wanted to be a professional musician, or perhaps a music teacher. As much as her heart yearned to pursue a career in music, fear always barged into her thoughts and reminded her that the chances of making a real living in that field were low.

Sophie's mind was so consumed by her unknown future, that she failed to notice when Artemis had run off. Unlike her master the husky was on high alert during their walk and when she caught the scent of a human with a doglike scent nearby, Artemis leaped into action and went away to discover who the stranger was and attack if necessary. Sophie was pulled out of her thoughts as she heard the sound of several twigs breaking and leaves crunching. _Where's Artemis?_ her mind frantically questioned as she looked around for her dog.

"Lost something?" she heard a voice ask in a teasing manner. Sophie immediately turned around and was surprised to see who was standing a few feet away from her. _Derek_.

The longer that Sophie studied Derek the more she noticed that he hadn't changed much. His dark hair still appeared to be lush and soft, his aura was still dark and mysterious, and he still had his scruffy 5 o'clock shadow. Sophie still remembered how nostalgic and sad his eyes were the other night and even though his green eyes were still a little sad, they were now mixed with mischief.

"You scared me," she finally said as she placed her hand on her heart. Her heart was still beating aggressively against her chest and she breathed in through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth in an attempt to lower her heart rate. As she continued to breathe in deeply, Sophie noticed that Artemis was next to Derek and that he was running his fingers through her fur. "I thought you were a serial killer." Derek slightly tilted his head as he contemplated what she had just said._ Close, but not quite_, Derek thought to himself.

"Who says I am not?" he retorted as he stood up from his crouching position.

Sophie rolled her eyes and replied. "If you were a serial killer, I would be dead by now."

"Maybe I'm just taking my time. Maybe I am one of those serial killers who like to take their time."

"But isn't that a careless thing to do? The more time you spend with me the greater the likelihood that you become a suspect of my murder, if you kill me."

"You've given this a lot of thought. Have you met many serial killers?" Derek said in a mocking tone.

Sophie chuckled and smirked. "I don't know, you tell me."

Even though he didn't want to, Derek couldn't help but smile. His smile wasn't very big and he didn't let his teeth show, but it was enough to let Sophie know that she had succeed in getting him to smile, again. To her, seeing him smile was not a big deal. She saw that he wasn't the type to smile much, but she didn't think much of it. Derek, on the other hand, was at a loss. How could a young woman that he barely knew have such a powerful effect on him? Derek worked hard to keep a cold and distant demeanor, it was safer like that for him. He didn't have to worry about people seeing his emotions and toying with him. His heart would not be broken, like it had been in the past. He was safe. Now he stood a few feet away from a person who was changing all that. _Go away Derek. You are getting too close. You're letting her get to you. She is breaking down your walls_, his mind warned.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: First off, I would like to say how sorry I am that I have taken so long to update. University has kept me extremely busy and my brain has also been having some writer's block. Nonetheless, I still intend to continue writing this story. Second, if you ever have any questions concerning when I will update or anything else feel free to message me on my Tumblr (my URL is throneofcats). Thirdly, I would like to give a massive thank you to my beta, my little brother, and to those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. Finally, I would like to add that the only thing that I own are the characters that I have created. Thank you for reading and enjoy!**

**Her Song**

Sophie rolled back her stiff shoulders after she reached the last note in the song. Her arms were aching and her eyelids kept on threatening to close. She had stayed late in school with the Beacon Hills High School band to practice for the memorial recital that was going to be held the next night. Originally Sophie was going to play "The Swan" by Camille Saint-Saens for the recital, but the song was changed out of the blue. Sophie couldn't help but feel frustrated at the new band director for abruptly changing the piece of music that she was supposed to play with the pianist, Mike. The new director must of had something against the cello because the new song that her and Mike were going to play hardly involved the cello. Though she probably should have felt slightly offended by this, Sophie felt relieved that she wouldn't have to stress too much over practicing the new song.

As the band director instructed the band, Sophie let her mind wander away from the current situation that she was in. The first thing that her brain thought of after living the present moment was Derek. She had not seen him in twelve days and oddly enough, she felt lonely and empty. _This is stupid. I shouldn't be feeling like this over a guy I don't know. Sure we've talked twice, but that's not enough to start going googoo gaga over him_, her thoughts ranted.

"Hey Sophie," she heard a voice say next to her. She blinked her eyes for a few moments and she brought herself back to the real world.

"Hi Mike," she said as she saw that the pianist was the one who was speaking to her. "You getting ready to leave?" Sophie then inquired when she noticed that Mike was holding sheets of music in his long and skinny hands.

"Yeah. I told my parents that I would be home before eight," he sheepishly explained as he scratched the back of his head.

"I guess that I should start packing up too. There isn't much point of me staying here if you're not here," she said with a small laugh. Mike joined in with her laughter while she stood up to get ready to go home.

"See you later Sophie," Mike called out as he left the music room as he and waved his arm.

"See ya later Mike," she responded while she twisted the knob on the end of her bow to loosen it.

"Right well, I think that we are ready for the recital tomorrow. You can all go home now," Sophie heard the music director say as she got down on her knees to place her heavy cello back in it's case. A wave of fatigue washed over her when she lifted herself up and picked up the cello case. After the long day, she was more than ready to go home and sleep.

"You did really well today, Sophie," she heard Danny say from behind her.

She turned around and smiled. "Thanks Danny. You did good," she replied and she couldn't help but feel slightly envious of how effortlessly he seemed to carry his trumpet case. She wished that lugging around her cello was as easy as carrying a trumpet. In a few seconds, Danny caught up with Sophie and the pair walked into the dark and empty hallway.

"Thanks," he said. "It's too bad they changed the song that you were supposed to play. I've overheard you practice a few times and you are really good." Sophie felt her heart swell with pride at the simple compliment. She knew that she was a good cellist, but lately no one seemed to take much notice or care about how hard she worked (except her parents, but she thought that they were obligated to be proud of her).

"It is too bad. I really liked that song," she admitted with regret in her voice.

*"What are you still doing here?" a voice demanded. In front of Danny and Sophie was a police officer who appeared to be on the edge. The officer was around 5'8 (from what Sophie could see, which wasn't much since it was dark), with dark skin, and her curly black hair was in bun.

"We were here to practice for the recital," Danny explained nonchalantly and unaware of what was truly going on in the school.

"Is there something wrong?" Sophie inquired.

"There was 911 call made from this school not too long ago. Make sure that you leave this place immediately," the young officer ordered. Despite her curiosity, Sophie followed Danny and the rest of the band students out of Beacon Hills High School.

"I wonder what happened?" she heard one person ask.

"Probably a drug bust," someone suggested.

"There's probably people getting it on in the janitors' closet," another person jokingly said.

Sophie drifted away from the group of boisterous band students as she tried to remember where she had parked her car. She had forgotten how far away she had parked and she hoped that, despite the darkness that surrounded her, she could find her plum colored car.

Just as Sophie was about step into the parking lot, she froze. The lights that barely illuminated the school and parking lot started to flicker simultaneously and the night air grew colder. The black cardigan that she wore did not do much to keep her warm and her mind started to panic. The weight of the heavy cello disappeared as fear began to course through her veins. Sophie's heart beat loudly and rapidly against her chest to the point where she thought that her heart would leap out of her body. _Calm down Sophie. It's just a bunch lights. No biggie. You've sat through scary movies and you can get through this. Just calm down, her thoughts chanted. Dear God, I am going to die in a parking lot._

Suddenly everything stopped. All the lights turned off and the air became so cold that Sophie's body was shaking. Sophie bit hard on her lip to hold back the terrified scream that wanted to escape her throat. She closed her eyes and tried to listen for any noise. The chatter of the band students was long gone and the only thing that she could hear was her heart beating aggressively. In all of her life, Sophie had never felt so alone and terrified at the same time. She had felt extremely lonely when her younger had passed away a little over four years ago, but she did not feel terrified after he died. She had only felt loneliness, despair, and guilt.

Then out of nowhere, all the dim lights came back on and the air did not feel so cold. Sophie's right hand was in pain from clutching the handle of her cello case so tightly, but other than that she was physically okay. However, her mind was still afraid. _What just happened?_ Even though Sophie wanted to go home, now more than ever, she could not find the strength to move. She took several deep breaths through her nose and exhaled through her mouth. As Sophie tried to calm down her heart rate, the urge to turn around was overwhelming her. She knew that if she turned around that she would most likely see something that she did not want to see, but her mind and body did not seem to care. Sophie carefully set her cello case to the ground and slowly turned around. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust and take in what they saw and when her brain finally formed a coherent image, Sophie's heart dropped. Dark red blood cascaded down the Beacon Hills High School sign and the lifeless eyes of the police officer, that she had seen earlier, were staring at her. This was the last straw and Sophie couldn't hold it in any longer. She screamed.

* * *

It had been thirteen days since Derek had last seen Sophie and she had constantly been on his mind ever since he ran into her in the forest. To avoid any further confrontations with her, Derek locked himself up in his loft. Luckily, Cora and Peter did not bother him too much for acting more antisocial than usual. Though Derek was relieved that Cora was giving him the space he needed, he felt apprehensive and skeptical towards Peter. After everything that Peter had done over the course of the last year, Derek could not find it in himself to trust his uncle. He knew that Peter was up to something, but he didn't know what. For the time being though, he had more important things to worry about. With everything that had been going on, Derek felt as though the weight of the world were on his shoulders. People in Beacon Hills were getting sacrificed by the Darach and the Alpha Pack was out for blood.

"You're going out?" Cora asked as she saw Derek leaving the loft. He turned his head around and looked at his younger sister for a few seconds.

"I'll be back later," he replied.

Admittedly Derek was still slightly reluctant to be leaving the safety and comfort of his loft, but he hadn't seen his girlfriend in two weeks and it was time to make an appearance. After arriving at Beacon Hills High School, Derek started to make his way to the entrance of the school. He paused for a few moments and took a deep breath through his nose to see if Jennifer was nearby. He did not need to search any further when he caught her scent coming towards him. She walked quickly towards Derek and ran into his arms.

**"Where the hell have you been?" she whispered after giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Jennifer's breath was ragged and she slightly struggled to get the oxygen that she needed to her lungs. Her hands were wrapped around his neck and their foreheads were against each others. "And don't say that you needed to be alone for a while because that is the single worst excuse ever." She paused for a few moments and saw that unlike her, his eyes were closed. "Oh god, I am sorry. You did want to be alone, didn't you?"

"I'm here now and you were safe. Trust me," he replied. He finally opened his eyes and gazed into her brown colored eyes. He could see how her dark brown hair fell in waves and that she wore a dark red blouse.

"Well I didn't really feel safe. Partially because the evil twins are walking around school like nothing happened," she complained.

"They're not going to hurt you," he firmly stated. Before either of them could say anything, the school bell rung and they lifted their heads up.

"Some days I just want to take a sledgehammer to that bell," Jennifer said with an exasperated sigh.

Derek gave her a small smile and replied. "Why don't you just come back with me?"

"I can't. I've got three more classes and I've got this recital to get together tonight. I organized it to honor the losses of the school and now it sounds stupid," she explained.

"No," he disagreed. "It sounds perfect." Jennifer smiled and Derek leaned in to give her one last kiss before she had to go to class. After Jennifer went away, Derek made his way back to his car. He no longer had a reason to stay in Beacon Hills High School and he did not want to accidentally run into Sophie. Derek was completely consumed by his thoughts of the young cellist, that he lost track of his surroundings.

"Derek?" he heard a female voice ask. He snapped out of his gazed and slightly tilted his head down to meet a pair of familiar hazel eyes. Sophie's honey blonde hair was in a ponytail and she wore a long, red and dark grey plaid shirt with black leggings and tan boots. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came by to say hi to someone," he stated nonchalantly.

"Oh," was Sophie's only response.

Derek was overcome with guilt as he saw the look of despair and a small hint of fear in her hazel eyes. He felt guilt over trying to avoid her and meeting up with Jennifer. _No! Don't feel guilty over seeing Jennifer. She's your girlfriend, not Sophie_, his mind ranted and yet, Derek could not deny that there was something about Sophie that lead him to stay with her a little longer than he should have. Maybe it was the way she never failed to get him to smile or perhaps it was how she made him feel like he wasn't a monster. He knew that it was ridiculous to start feeling this way about a person that he barely knew, but Derek could not deny that he enjoyed her presence in his life. _You'll just end up hurting her or getting her killed if you stay with her_, his mind warned.

"Are you okay?" he couldn't help but ask. Despite the fact that Derek had not really known Sophie for long, he could tell that something was wrong. She looked shaken up and he could see her mind wandering to what he could only assume to be sad or painful memories.

"I'm fine," she said offhandedly as she lifted up the cello case when she realized that her arm was getting tired from carrying around the heavy instrument.

"Do you need any help with that?" he asked as he made a gesture towards her cello.

"I'm fine," she lied while looking at the ground. She would have tried harder to lie to him, but Sophie felt so exhausted that she didn't really care about how good her deceitfulness sounded. Derek could see through her lie and with his right hand wrapped his fingers gently around the handle of the black case. With his other hand, he carefully removed her fingers from their death grip on the handle. As his fingers brushed against hers, Derek could help but notice how cold and soft her hand was. He found it difficult to not set her cello to the ground and take her hands in his to warm them up.

The pair walked quietly into Beacon Hills High School. Sophie's thoughts were consumed with the dead body that she had found the previous night and with the stress of playing at the recital that night. She desperately wanted to forgot what she had seen the other night, but she couldn't. In an attempt to push back the unwanted memories, Sophie finally spoke up.

"So how have you been?" she asked as she spared a quick glance up at him.

"Good," he said. "And you?"

"I've been better," she admitted. Derek gazed down at her with an unspoken question in his green eyes. Sophie took a long, deep, and silent breath through her nose as a way to prepare herself for what she was about to say. "I've been stressed with the recital that is happening tonight because a couple of days ago, they changed the song that I was supposed to play. I was supposed to play the song that you heard me practicing when we first met, but then the new music director, who is a complete assbutt*** by the way, decided to change the song."

Derek snickered when he heard Sophie call the musical director an assbutt. "Is that it? Is that why you look like you're sleep deprived?" Derek questioned. If she wasn't so upset about what she had seen the previous night, Sophie would have laughed or glared at him.

"Not exactly," she answered. The pair had finally reached the music room and were standing at the entrance. Sophie looked off into the distance as she tried to find the words that she need to explain herself without sounding like an insane person. "Did you hear about what happened here last night?" she quietly asked. Derek shook his head from side to side, and started to wonder if he should start regretting wanting to know what plagued her mind. "A police officer was murdered here last night and I... I..." Sophie struggled to admit what she seen. Derek placed his free hand on her shoulder and beckoned her with his to look at him.

"You don't have to say it, Sophie," Derek whispered. Sophie nodded her head and let a few tears slip from her eyes. She did not want to cry in front of him, but since last night she had not given herself a moment to let her emotions be expressed.

"I'm sorry," she said after she wiped away her warm tears.

"It's okay," he stated. Sophie nodded her head and sighed.

"Well I need to go practice," she said, her voice slightly cracking. "Are you going to come to the recital tonight?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject. Sophie finally looked back up at Derek. Her eyes had tiny red lines in them from the warm and thick tears that had been sliding down her cheeks.

"I am not sure. I think that I probably will," Derek answered as he thought over her question. _Is she trying to ask me to come see her perform, or is she just curious about whether or not I am coming?_ he asked himself. Sophie gave Derek a small smile and took the cello from him.

"Okay. Thanks for helping me," she said. _And you probably think that I am freak now since I cried in front of you_, she bitterly thought to herself.

"No problem and good luck tonight," Derek replied. He looked into Sophie's eyes and saw that she was still upset, but she appeared to be slightly better than she was when he had ran into her outside. He gave her a toothy grin as a way to reassure her and let her know that he did not think that she was crazy. After what she had seen, he did not blame her for feeling shaken up and frightened.

"Thank you, Derek." And with that he put his hands in his pockets and started to make his way home.

Derek wanted to stay and watch her practice, but he knew he shouldn't. He already had a girlfriend and he didn't need to be hanging around high school girls, at least that is what he tried to convince himself of. The real reason why Derek did not stay with Sophie was that he didn't want to hurt her. Everyone who entered his life ended up getting hurt or dead. Sophie deserved better and Derek didn't want to see any harm done to her. He didn't know why, but he felt attached to the young cellist. Sophie had brought something that was missing from Derek's life. He did not know exactly what it was, but there was something about her that had him craving her presence in his lonely life.

His thoughts entertained the idea of coming to the recital that night, but he wasn't sure. Would he go to see the woman that he tried to convince himself he loved, or would he come for a young woman who had stolen his heart?

* * *

**Footnotes:**

*This scene is a mix of what happened on Teen Wolf and my own imagination.

**The dialogue between Jennifer and Derek came entirely from the writers of Teen Wolf.

***A reference to the t.v. show, Supernatural.


End file.
